It was 7pm already in the city of Abeokuta, and though
the night was matured enough to alter it darkness, but
then something was just not right. It was 7pm! For Christ
sake and the whole street of Pansheke was already
desolated. Pansheke area of Abeokuta had been one of
the of most busy area, especially with the loud turn out of
chunk of students who ramble along the road, and the
local market women who found the gloomy time as the
best time to market their wares. Even that time had
always been the normal closing time for some civil
servants. One could perceptibly see them, especially
those who didn't t own a ride hiking along the forever busy
street.
But now, it was just 7pm and not even a trace of student
could be picked or atom of the market women could be
seen. Even the trekkers & the commercial vehicles had all
gone into extinction. The whole surrounding looked like a
place bestowed with curfew.
Only the chirp of obviously the birds or the likes could be
heard. The skies had given up on the stars & the moon
which also born the trace of tiny cloud. Giving little
expectation that would rain. It was a kind of total weird
occurrence at Pansheke that evening.
Meanwhile, at the cross section of the street, laid a very
beautiful and well decorated magnific building . The
building with contemporary deco was surrounded with a
massive enclosure big enough to be mistaken for
Stamford bridge. From the gate towards the house laid a
fully adorned lawn with well cultivated and mowed grass
on the right and left flank leaving a small passage but
broad enough to contain a moving vehicle. The house
was a duplex with 10 rooms on the upper floor and a
wide sitting room downstairs to greet any visitor. Also,
the sitting room contained 2 toilet situated @ right side
of it. With a dinning table and chairs siting corner
somewhere in the siting room. LG flat screen stayed
glued to d wall facing the entrance with a well arranged
set of home theatre laid consciously on the floor below the
the flat screen.
"Please don't do this," Dr Banji whimpered as audible his
gut could allowed him. He knelt on the floor with his back
and shoulder forming a crooked shape, and his head
tilted upward revealing hot tears dripping heavily from his
eyes while his two palms staying glued to each other like
someone praying or pleading vigorously for forgiveness.
Notwithstanding, Dr. Banji was doing both to the unknown
masked man pointing a black automatic to Derrick. He was
oblivious of how the horrendous human got entrance into
his sitting room.
"It is already done doc!" The unknown masked man
groaned with a kind of husky voice sending more waves
of shivers to run across Banji and his son, Derrick
spine.
Derrick was his only son and he schooled at one of the
prestige universities. He only came home to collect
some things which he was through with and even on the
verge of returning to his school.
Before *bad fate caught up with him and now he had
black automatic gun pointed at his forehead.
"But who are you, & what do you want?" Banji wailed "
You see have got a lot of money you can take away, just
don't do this plss! Don't kill my son!" Banji again belched
out those words hoping the masked man would succumb,
but instead the masked man turned to face Banji with the
automatic grasping it more tightly with rigour and
positioning it to face Banji's forehead.
"You want to know Meeee"? The masked man brusquely
voiced but still stressed each word especially the "me"
part. "Fine!" He continued, "I am your doom! I am the
doom you caused on yourself . I am the curse bestowed on
yourself, You've had enough chance to to re-write your fate
but you never did. Your myopic mind was already
consumed by vanities. Now it so unfortunate but
inevitable you will die as a bereaved, with nobody to hold
your hand and nobody to survive you" the masked man
spilled, wavering his head in a gesture that depict the
humane part of him.
Advancing closely to Banji who has started too pee, but
his eyes stay glued to the man. He could see the macho
heavily bestowed on the masked man, coupled with his
heftiness and tallness, also, the strength he reared. He
could easily swop him for a wrestler judging from his
athletic body.
"So yoou are a dddoom, a cuurse?" Banji stuttered,
maintaining eyes contact with his *doom* and indeliberate
avoided Derrick, that was gagged down also secreting
large volume of salty fluid by his sweat gland through the
pores in his skin. He couldn't even decipher the whole
situation, his mind reminded him in a flash how his friend
had warned him not to embark on the journey to his
house. His friend explained the dreadful dream he had
but instead of Derrick to oblige, he narrowed his words as
one of the inessentials.
"Yes! I am your doom, i am your curse!"
"POOOOWWW"
The blare sound from the automatic filtered into the air
and immediately Derrick dropped Dead!
"Deeeeeeerrrickkk!!! Noooooo!!!" Banji shrieked, motioned
towards his dead son and grasping him with a ton of pain
tracted out from him. He couldn't imagine his the image of
his son lying lifelessly on his own pull of blood.
"I swear i would get back to you evil son of a B***h!" He
cursed positioning his left index finger towards the
masked man
However, d masked man only shook his head
simultaneously but with a pinch of sympathy obviously on
him. He then advanced towards the exit from the siting
room, when he got to the opening of d exit, he stood for
2 secs and altered his last 8 words which dropped like a
bombshell "EXPECT THIS, SAME TIME, SAME DATE,
NEXT YEAR" -- December 25!
Ring Riing Rinnnng" A Nokia lumia blared out the
incoming call totally disrupting the silence and jolting up
from his nightmare.
"So it was just a dream" Banji voiced out with
perspiration pouring off his brow. He was concerned
with his dream, and that made him totally oblivious of the
strident sound of call notification rendered by his lumia.
However, his subconscious mind vanished when his
phone cried out the fourth time, Banji's head quickly
swayed to the flank side where he placed his lumia. It
was an unregistered number.
"And who the hell could could be calling by the dead of
the night he thought, before raising face to check his
wall clock.
"12:15″ he muttered,
"hello"
"Yes, hello sir," the caller responded. "i'm sorry am i up to
Derrick Olabanji Daniel's father sir"
"Ohh Yes. And who ammm iii i tta talking with?" Banji
stuttered, jolting his back up, moving it away from pillow
with eyes furrowed, an action that made him look like he
was ready to receive his death penalty.
Though the caller's voice sounded a deep innocent,
notwithstanding he could still sense a kind of greatly
hidden form of despair in the caller's tone
"Okay sir, what happened was that Derrick & I were
sleeping sir and all of a sudden i heard a loud cry which
actually woke me up, and before i knew it i i i found
DDdderrick......, he paused for like 6secs searching for d
best euphemism to present d next word he was about to
drop.
"What happened to Derrick Banji voiced coldly but gentle
enough to kill his shaky tone, sweat was running all over
his body and hand already vibrating like when Nokia 3310
vibrates when set on vibration, his hand still glued to his
ear though like when exactly a flat screen TV was asked
to hug d wall.
Derrick is Dead sir!! The caller eventually dropped the
fours words like atomic bomb plaintively. .....
